New York Health Workforce Data System

The Center’s New York Health Workforce Data System is designed to support ongoing monitoring of the state’s health workforce. With support from a number of key stakeholders in the state, the system uses both primary and secondary data sources to provide critical information on the supply of and demand for health workers in the state. The primary goal of the system is to provide policy makers, planners, and other interested parties with the best available, up-to-date information about the state’s health workforce to inform decision making that supports a healthier New York.

The Data System projects include:

MONITORING NEW YORK’S HEALTH WORKFORCE

Currently, CHWS monitors seven licensed professions, including voluntary surveying of physicians, registered nurses, dentists, dental hygienists, physician assistants and midwives and a mandatory survey of nurse practitioners. CHWS collects information from these professionals at license renewal as well as from secondary data sources, including Medicaid claims data. Annually, CHWS develops and disseminates reports and research briefs summarizing these data. For more information on this project, contact Nafin Harun at nharun@albany.edu.

CHWS produces an annual report on the state’s health workforce which provides detailed information about health care employment by setting, occupation, and region. Two key objectives of the report are: (1) to describe health care employment trends in the state, using data on jobs by health setting as well as data on health professions in the state; and (2) to identify the health professions and occupations in greatest demand currently as well as offering projections for future demand. The report is designed to assist stakeholders to target workforce development resources to address the most pressing needs; to guide health workforce policies and to inform current and prospective students about health care employment opportunities. For more information on this project, contact R. Ashley Krohmal, rkrohmal@albany.edu.

As part of the State University of New York’s (SUNY) effort to assure the right health professionals in the right places, CHWS has developed the Health Workforce Planning Data Guide designed to assist regional stakeholders in identifying the most pressing health workforce needs. The Data Guide includes information about the health status of the population, the current health workforce, and the educational pipeline. The report is updated every two years. For more information on this project, contact Robert Martiniano, rmartiniano@albany.edu.

CHWS conducts an annual survey of the deans and directors of New York’s registered nurse (RN) education programs and produces an annual report of findings. The survey asks about applications, admissions, RN graduations, barriers to expanding capacity, and an assessment of the local job market for newly trained RNs. A key objective of this research is to document trends in RN graduations regionally and statewide and understand how these trends affect the supply of RNs in New York State. For more information on this project, contact Robert Martiniano, rmartiniano@albany.edu.

CHWS, in conjunction with Graduate Medical Education (GME) Programs across the state, conducts an annual survey of all physicians in New York completing a residency or fellowship training program. The survey collects information about residents’ demographic and background characteristics, post-graduation plans, and job market experiences. CHWS produces an annual report of findings based on analyses of survey responses. The goal of this research is to provide stakeholders with information about the outcomes of GME training and demand for new physicians. For more information on this project, contact David Armstrong, dparmstrong@albany.edu.